Cold Turkey on Day 5 ... its driving me crazy today..please help!

[adi]

Hi friends,

I quit cold turkey on Christmas.. 25 Dec.. and its day 5 today.. the first 4 days were surprisingly not soo bad.. specially since first 3 days were at home and i could pass most of the day in naps.. but now its day 5 .. and here i am in office.. with most of the people on leave and hardly any work... and all i can think right now is.. ONE cigg,,, just ONCE... someone please help me 😞

[nomascigarettes]

I totally feel your pain.  I am only 29 and had to get a ct scan of my lungs and heart today as my doctor feared I had blood clots on them.  As scary as that is... I still have cravings today.  But I can't give in - my life is at stake... which means with another cigarette for you - your life is at stake.  

Keep up the amazing job and DON'T give in.  

A friend of mine who quit cold turkey told me to say out loud to myself every time I want a cigarette, " Do I want to LIVE or do I want to DIE?"

Say that to yourself and have faith in you.  I don't know you but I have faith in you..  I need the same support as well right now.  

-Regan

[donethat]

Exactly!  I find the first 5 days are the worst.  After that, it isn't so bad.

When I quit for 10 years, it was with the patch and also, using suckers, smart ones and licorice, to keep something in my hands and mouth.  So what if you gain 20 lbs?  You can lose it, but you can't regrow a lung.

I also listened to subliminal stop smoking tapes, while I slept.  I'm starting the whole process again and I know that I cannot, CANNOT be around other smokers again!!!!!

You can do this.  You have to want to live!

[bigmak]

I did the cold turkey thing the first time I quit.  It was so tough that I stayed off the dirty things for 14 years.

DO NOT give in.  It will seem that the cravings last forever, but they will ease up -- sooner than you think.  And take this pain and keep it in your memory -- it'll help you stay quit.  One other thing:  I had quit for about seven weeks a couple of years ago, and found that I got blind-sided by unexpected cravings even after the first week (they had eased off after the first five or six days).  They were strong cravings, but very short-lived, in part because I remembered how much work I had put in already, and also because I was able to recall the fact that I was used to saying "no" to them by then.  Unfortunately, I gave in to the "just one" thing.  I was back smoking full time in under a week.

If you give in, it may literally take years to accomplish what you've already accomplished.  Want to go through this again?  I had quit for fourteen years, and now I've been smoking again for nearly nine.  Saturday the 2nd is my quit date.  I have no illusions about what it's going to take.  But if I had remembered nine years ago how bad it had been to quit the first time, I wouldn't be facing this Saturday.  Or, if I hadn't given in two years ago, it'd all be a memory, telling me, "Never again."

Sorry if I sound preachy, but I've been where you are and I'm about to go there again.  I WISH I were five days smoke free right now.  That won't come until a week from Friday. 

Cold turkey is the toughest way to go, but if you've made it this far, you're past the nicotine's worst punch.  Stay with it.  Cold turkey is the fastest way to get to where you want to be.  Hey, bring a book to work if you need to, but don't let the habit side rekindle the addiction. 

YOU'RE DOING MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN YOU THINK RIGHT NOW!  All thoughts that you can't make it are a lie.  Even if you have to take sick time from work so you can be in control of your environment, your life is worth it!  This is the single most important thing you can be doing with your life right now:  SAVING IT.

Keep it up!

[katiebugg]

You can do it! You are almost through the worst days. You have made it further so far than alot of people do. Keep yourself busy. Find anything you can to do at work and do it. Keep reminding yourself why you are doing this. Tell yourself you are strong and can do it. Don't forget to remind yourself how proud you are of your accomplishment so far.

[adi]

Guess what .. Bummed a cigg from a friend at work... thinking that i'd just have 3 puffs and throw it away.. almost lit it actually.. but then recalled these messages from all of u...

"Do I want to LIVE or do I want to DIE" .... 

... "it may literally take years to accomplish what you've already accomplished"

and i THREW the cigarette away....

thanks a ton to all your messages friends.... and yess katiebugg..i feel extremely proud to SAY am still clean...

thanks again friends.. it might have just been a reply for you on the forum.. but for me.. it might have just saved my life.. wish u good luck and quick recovery Regan ..good luck to donethat and bigmak

[dje]

The longer I go the worse it gets, it's been 3 weeks

[nerhardt]

Hang in there.  You've already done 5 days.  A hugh accomplishment.  As they say in AA one day at a time.  Before you know it it will be a month.  Good luck to you. 

[patricia28]

ADI, keep it up... Great Job.. I think I'll use those words too. " Do I want to live or Do I want to die. " GREAT.

[onvacation]

Great job throwing that cancer stick away!

YOU GO!